MichaelJ.

Roa

IndustrialEthernetNetworksandDeviceLevel/Field
BusNetworksforMarineandNavalApplications
ABSTRACT
Thispaperwilldiscusstheapplicationof
currentABSNavalVesselRules(NVR)for
controlandautomationsystemindustrial
Ethernetnetworksatthesubsystem/zonal
levelincludingdeviceleveland fieldbus
typenetworksforapplicationsinnaval
machinerycontrolsystems.Thebackground
andevolutionofindustrialEthernet
networksanddevicelevel/fieldbus
technologywillbediscussed.Themajor
characteristicsofthemostcommon
industrialnetworktechnologiesavailable
today,includingEthernet/IP,
ProfiNET/Profibus,andModbus/TCPwill
beoutlined.Variousnetworktopologies
willbe comparedintermsofperformance
and survivability. Recommendationsfor
possiblefutureNVRrulestodirectly
addressthesetypesofnetworktechnologies
willbepresented.

INTRODUCTION
Asaresultoftheincreasingcomplexitiesof
shipboardcontrolandautomationsystem
networksonnavalcombatants,andthe
numerousdifferenttypesofnetworksand
networkingtechnologiesbeingemployedat
differentlevelswithincontroland
automationsystems,theABSNavalVessel
Rulesforcontrolandautomationnetworks
havebeenincontinualdevelopment.
Severalmajorrulechangeshavebeen
recentlyimplementedtofurtherdefinethe
rulesformissioncriticalcontroland
automationsystemnetworks.Fromissues
raisedontherecentnavalprojects,ithas
beensuggestedthatfurtherguidancebe
providedintheNavalVesselRulesonhow
toapplythe rulestothemidlevelandlower
levelnetworksalsoknownassublevel,
zonal,devicelevelorfieldbusnetworks.

Theperformancecharacteristics,topologies,
andprotocolsrequiredattheselowerlevels
maydiffersignificantlyfromwhatisneeded
atthehighershipwidelevels.
IntheNavalVesselRules,there aretwosets
ofcriteriaforcontrolandautomation
networksprovided. The1st setofcriteriais
forshipwidemissioncritical networkssuch
asshipwidecontrolandautomationsystem
networksthatservemultipleessential
systemsoveranintegratedbackbone
topology.The2nd setofcriteriaisfor
dedicatedstandalonelocalareanetworks
whichare dedicated toasingle subsystem
orequipmentsuchasadedicatedwaterjet
controlsystemnetwork. Thetype/purpose
ofthenetworkdetermineswhichsetof
criteriashouldbeapplied.Whiletherules
arewelldefinedforhigherlevelshipwide
controlandautomationnetworks,therules
formidlevelorfieldbustypenetworksare
notasdetailedanditisnotobvioustothe
casualreaderwhichsetofcriteriatoapplyto
thesetypesofnetworks.Thispaper
examinestheissuesclosely,provides
examplesofwheneachsetofcriteria
applies,andoffersuggestionsforfuturerule
improvementsandareasofdevelopment.

NAVALVESSELRULES
(NVR)BACKGROUND
During1990s,U.S.DepartmentofDefense
ProcurementReformpoliciesbeganto
encouragemaximumuseofcommercial
standardsandCommercialofftheshelf
(COTS)equipment.DODbeganpromoting
theuseofcommercialstandardsand
specificationswhereverpossibleand,
consequently,theU.S.NavyGeneral
SpecificationsforShipbuildingwere
cancelledin1998.Itwasrecognizedearly
thatABShaslonghistoryofclassingNaval

AuxiliariestocommercialSteelVessel
RulesandABSwastappedasapotential
resourceandpartnerinthisefforttocreate
newtechnicalshipbuildingstandardsforthe
Navy.ABSandtheNavybegantoworkas
ateamtorespondtotheneedforanew
processtomaintainandapplybaseline
technicalcriteria.
Accordingly,theAmericanBureauof
Shipping(ABS)proceededwith
developmentofNavalVesselRulesasa
jointeffortwiththeNavalSeaSystems
Command(NAVSEA).NAVSEAandABS
jointlydevelopedandimplementedasetof
NavalVesselRulestobeusedinthedesign,
construction,maintenanceand
modernizationofnonnuclearnaval
combatantships.Aftermanyyearsof
successinapplyingtheABSship
classificationprocessonmanySealiftand
NavalAuxiliary programstheNavyand
ABSdecidedtocollaboratetoaddressthe
lowerriskaspectsofdesigningand
certifyingnonnuclearnavalcombatant
ships.ThisallowsinhouseNavy
engineeringresourcestobefocusedmoreon
thehigherriskmissionrelatedaspectsof
combatants,whilemaintainingtechnical
controlviaclosecollaborationwithABSon
theNavalVesselRulesthefoundationfor
theprocess.TheNavyretainstechnical
authority,butusesABSasabusiness
partnertoadministertheNavalVessel
Rules,andasanagentinclassingshipsto
theNavalVesselRules.
TheABSNavalVesselRules,astailoredby
approvedexceptions,arecurrently
applicableforUSSFreedom (LCS1),USS
Independence(LCS2),and USSZumwalt
(DDG1000)shipbuildingprogramsandwill
beapplicableforallfuturenonnuclear
surfacecombatants.Aspertherules,the
NavalTechnicalAuthorityremainsinthe
leadroleforcertificationofControland
NavigationSystemsSoftware,Mission

CriticalNetworks,andSafetyCritical
ControlSystems.

EVOLUTIONOFFIELDBUS
ANDINDUSTRIAL
ETHERNET
Fieldbustechnologywasintroducedinthe
1970sandhasbecomethepredominant
networkingtechnologyforindustrial
automationsystems. Theterm fieldbusis
definedin IEC61158,Digitaldata
Communicationformeasurementand
control Fieldbusforuseinindustrial
controlsystems.asfollows: Conceptually,
afieldbus isadigital,serial,multidrop,
databusforcommunicationwithindustrial
controlandinstrumentationdevicessuchas
butnotlimitedto transducers,actuators
andcontrollers. Fieldbustechnologyis
typicallyemployedatthelowestlevelsof
industrialcontrolandautomationsystems.
Itistypicallyusedwhere individualsensors
andcontrollerscanbeconnectedtoa
commondatabus,usuallyabusorloop,
whichisthetiedtoadataacquisitionunit
thatiscommunicatingwithHumanMachine
Interfaces(HMI)onahigherlevelshipwide
controlandautomationsystemnetwork.By
connectingmultipleequipmentsandsensors
onadaisychained busorloop,much
cablingissavedoverthetraditionalpointto
pointwringmethods. Three fieldbus
protocolsthatarecommonlyusedin
industryareasfollows:
DeviceNet
MODBUS
Profibus
IECPublication 61158depictsageneric
fieldbusasshowninfigure1(a). Atypical
traditionalmarine automationnetworkwith
fieldbustechnologyatthelowerlevelsis
shownin Figure1(b).

FIGURE1(a).GenericIndustryFieldbusNetwork

FIGURE1(b).Traditional MarineAutomation Network with FieldbusatDeviceLevel

Inthisarrangement,threeseparate
communicationnetworksareprovidedfor
threeseparatepurposes(a)Information
network,(b)LowSpeedcontrolNetwork,
and(c)Devicelevelnetworks.Eachof
theseseparatefederatednetworksis
optimizedfortheintendedpurpose.
Differentnetworkingprotocolsand
architecturesaretypicallyemployedatthese
threelevels.

Atthelowestlevelthe'Device(fieldbus)
Network'collectsalargenumberof
relativelysmalldataitems(asmallnumber
ofbitsorbyteseach).Ittypicallyoperates
inarepetitivecycle,andthespeedofthe
cycledeterminestheresponsivenessofthe
controllerthatneedstheinformation.

InformationsentdownaDeviceNetworkis
normally'packed'intoasmallnumberof
messages,eitheroneper'drop'foramulti
dropremoteI/Onetwork,orperhapsevena
singleaggregatemessagefornetworks.This
consolidatesthepacketoverheadsovera
largenumberofdataitems,andsoimproves
thedatacarrying capacitiesofthenetworkat
agivennetwork speed.
Sincedevicenetworksareprimarilyusedto
savewiringcostascomparedtoindividual
pointtopointfieldwiringofeachsensorand
actuator,itisimportantthattheresponse
timeiskeptcontrolled.Thereforethese
networksaredesignedtofavorlowlatency
requirementsoverinformationthroughput.
Oneofthemosteffectivetechniquesfor
keepingthelatencyundercontrolisto
transferallinformationinacontinuousscan
cycle.Cycletimesmightbefrom1msto
100msdependinguponthetypeofcontrol
beingattempted.
Thekeyperformancecharacteristicofafield
busnetworkisdeterminism.The
determinismofaprotocolistheabilityto
supportpredictableandstabletransmission
ofhighspeedcontrolparametersbetween
thedevicesattachedtoafieldbus.Thedata
transfermustbecompletedinadefinedtime
periodandconfirmationmustbeprovided.
Determinismiscriticaltothedesignof
stableclosedloopsystemsforcurrent
controlproblems,andespeciallyfornext
generationcontrolsystems.Forrealtime
control,determinismistheprimarymeasure
offieldbus reliabilityandQualityofService
(QOS).
Recentlyanumberoffieldbusprotocols
havemigratedtoswitchedEthernetbased
protocolsinordertoenhance
communicationscapabilitiesandmakeit
easiertointegrateautomationsystem
networksfromtheHMIleveldowntothe
fielddevices.Themajordriversbehindthis
migrationtoEthernetare:

Integrationtotheofficeworld,IT
functions,Internet/intranet,remote

configuration.Thisisaworldof
TCP/IPonEthernetwithapplication
protocolslikeSNMP,FTP,MIME,
HTTP.Communicationsover
routersandserverswhereIP
addressingandTCPtransportare
mandatory.
Morebandwidthandbiggerdata
package forcommunicationswith
moreandmoreintelligent
automationdevices
Fasterrealtimecommunicationwith
synchronization goodenoughfor
demandingrealtimecontrol
applications
Connectingandaddressingmore
devicesoverwiderareas
Homogenousnetworkingmostly
usingEthernet
Newfunctionslikeonlineupdating
offirmwareandremote
configurationanderrorhandling
Integrationofexisting fieldbuses.

Figure2showsthenewmethodofIndustrial
EthernetNetworkingwhere theinformation
networks(enterpriselevel)areconnectedto
thefieldbuslevelsubnetworksthrough
redundantEthernetlinksinFigure2:

FIGURE2. IndustrialEthernetNetwork
ThreecommonEthernetbased fieldbus
protocolsthathaveevolvedareEthernet/IP,
MODBUS/TCP,andPROFINET.
Ethernet/IPhasevolvedfromDeviceNet,
MODBUS/TCPhasevolvedfrom
MODBUS,andPROFINEThasevolved
fromProfibus.
Ethernet/IP
EtherNet/IP,basedonEthernetTCPorUDP
IP,isastackextensionforautomation
industrycommunication.The'IP',in
EtherNet/IP,standsforIndustrialProtocol.
EtherNet/IPwasintroduced towardstheend
of2000.InEtherNet/IPtheupperlevel
ControlandInformationProtocol(CIP)
whichisalreadyusedinControlNetand
DeviceNetisadaptedtoEthernetTCP/IP
andUDP/IPrespectively.
Modbus/TCP
Modbus/TCPisaderivativeoftheModbus
protocolandtheopenspecification,based
onEthernetandstandardTCP/IP,mounts
directlyonLayer4.Itdefinesasimple
structured,openandwidelyused
transmissionprotocolforamasterslave
communication.

PROFINET
ThefirstversionofPROFINETused
Ethernetfornontimecritical
communicationofhigherleveldevicesand
ProfibusDPfieldbustechnologyforreal
timedomainsintegratedtoahigherlevelby
Proxies.
Initssecondrelease,PROFINETprovided
twocommunicationmechanismsover
Ethernet:Thestandardnonrealtime
communicationchannelusesTCP/IPwhile
thesecondchannelbypassingtheLayers3
and 4oftheOSIreferencemodelprovides
moredeterministiccommunication.The
protocolreducesdatalengthinorderto
minimizethethroughputtimeinthe
communicationstack.Foranoptimal
communicationperformancePROFINET
prioritizesthepacketasspecifiedinIEEE
802.1p.Forrealtimecommunicationthe
highestpriority(priority7)willbeused.
Thefollowing Table 1providesabrief
summaryofthemajorcharacteristicsofthe
threemajorEthernetbasedfieldbus
protocolsthataretypicallyemployed on
IndustrialandMarineautomationsystems:

TABLE1MajorCharacteristicsOfTheThreeMajorEthernetBasedFieldBusProtocols
Protocol

Description

Method

EtherNet/IP

(IP=IndustrialProtocol)Definedby
Rockwell.SupportedbytheODVA
withsome250members.Main
producerisRockwellforcontrollers,
I/O,HMIanddrivesAccuSort
Systems,DatalogicandSick:barcode
readersAcromag,PhoenixandWago:
I/OBoschRexroth,ParkerHannifin
andSMC:valves.About21certified
products.Inspring2004General
Motorsdeclaredthatitwould
standardizeonEthernet/IPforits
automationprograms.
DefinedbySchneiderElectric.
SupportedbytheusergroupModbus
IDA.TheoriginalModbusprotocol
(e.g.RS485)inusesince1979.
MigrationtoEtherneteasyto
implementandwidelyspread.
ProbablythemostusedEthernet
solutionsofar.About90products
mostlyfromsuppliersofremoteI/O

BasedonnormalTCP/IPwith
alternativeUDP/IPasanobject
embeddingprotocol,CIP
(CommonInterfaceProtocol),
transportsI/Odata,
configurationanddiagnostics
overnormalEthernet.Non
deterministicwithreactiontime
downto10ms.Synchronization
(CIPsynq IEC61588)canbe
added.BandwidthforTCP/IP
90100%.

Modbus/TCP

BasedonnormalTCP/IP
embeddingModbus,avery
simpleprotocolusinga
request/replymodel.The
solutionisnondeterministicand
reactiontimeis20msatbest.
RealtimewithRTPS(Realtime
PublisherSubscriber)canbe
added.ThisusesUDP/IPto

Realtime
performance
Cyclic
communication
10100ms.
Synchronization
about10s.

Cyclic
communication
20100ms.
No
synchronization
.

Functions
Fieldbus migrationover
bridgesforControlNetand
DeviceNet(installedbase
2.5mnodes)whichusethe
sameCIPapplication
protocol.Drivecontrol
withmoderatecycletime
and synchronization.
Safetyprotocolplanned
butnotyetreadyand
approved.

ConnectionofModbusto
Ethernet.Simpleprotocol
forI/Oandreading/
writinginregisters.

Protocol

Description

Method

whohavemultiplechoiceofinterface.

improveperformancebutnotto
truerealtimestandards.
BandwidthforTCP/IP90
100%.
NormalTCP/IPisusedformost
functions.Thisincludes
configuration,parameterization
andCBA(ComponentBased
Automation).Norestrictionson
TCP/IPtraffic.ForI/Oand
otherrealtimefunctionsdownto
1ms,directaddressingand
prioritizedmessagesareused
(RTchannel).Norestrictionsfor
TCP/IPtrafficbutshorterdelays
canoccurinswitchesduetothe
priority.

Profinet

DefinedbyProfibusInternationalwith
morethan1200membersandregional
organizationsin25countriesonall
continents.Morethan25companies
with100+products.Beckhoff:PLC
andI/OComsoft:I/Ocontroller
Comtrol:I/Ocontrollerandgateways
Danfoss,Rexroth,SEW:drivesand
motioncontrolHMS:I/OandI/O
controller,InterbusProxy,Gateways
Hilscher:I/OandI/Ocontroller,
gatewaysandsoftwarePhoenix
Contact:Interbusproxy,I/OandI/O
controllerSiemens:PLC,drivesand
motioncontrol,I/OandI/Ocontroller,
PCcards,asicsWago:I/O
Yokogawa:PLC.Germanauto
industrycomprisingAudi,BMW,
DaimlerChryslerandVolkswagen,
declaredonProfinet.
Source:http://ethernet.industrialnetworking.com

DISCUSSION
Exampleswhere fieldbustechnologyis
typicallyemployedincludededicatedlocal
areanetworksformajorequipmentsuchas
gasturbinecontrollers,waterjetsteering
controlsystems,andmotordrives.Field
busnetworksarealsotypicallyusedatthe
lowestlevelofashipwideautomation
systemtoconnectsensorsandequipmentto
thedataacquisitionunits.TheDAUsare
thentypicallyconnectedtoeachotherviaa
midlevelshipwidenetworkusingEthernet
switchestocommunicatetothevarious
HumanMachineInterfacesandconsoles
throughouttheship.
Anotherdesignfactorthatcanimpact
determinismisthephysicalarchitectureof
thefieldbus,betterknownastopology.The
topologyofafieldbusmayhavesignificant
impactonthedeterminismofafieldbus.
Thetopologyisalsothekeyfactorin
establishingfaulttolerancelevel.
Whiletheprimaryreasonforusing fieldbus
technologyistosaveweightandcostsof
pointtopointwiring,thechoiceoftopology
isthemaindriverofcostandweight,and

Realtime
performance

Functions

Cycletimes
from250s
with30axisand
50%TCP/IP.
150axisin1ms.

CBA,transparent
migrationforProfibus
(installedbase13mnodes)
andInterbus(installed
base:7.5mnodes).Other
fieldbus migrationsin
progress.Safetyprotocol
basedonPROFIsafe
availablewithapproval
expectedshortly.Other
fromProfibusprofilesfor
completionoverthenext
twoyears.Newprofiles
likeMESfunctions,
startingwithMaintenance,
areimplemented.

Synchronization
<1s.

faulttolerance.Onthescaleofcost,weight,
andfaulttolerance,themostexpensive,
heavy,andfaulttoleranttopologieswould
befullmeshconnectionsbetweenservers,
coreswitches,andedgeswitcheswithpoint
topointwiringtoequipmentanddevices
thesetopologieswouldalsobethemost
responsiveanddeterministic.Fullmeshand
partialmeshtopologiesareusually
employedatthehigherlevelshipwide
networksthatservemultiplesystemsand
requireahighleveloffaulttoleranceand
survivability.Thesoftwaretosupportthese
higherlevelsystemsusuallyemploysself
healingalgorithmssuchasRapidSpanning
TreeProtocoltorestorenetwork
communicationsintheeventofacable
breakorswitchfailure.
Alternativetopologiessuchasredundant
bus,star,tree,andring(loop)topologiesare
usuallylessexpensive,lessweight,andare
easierto install,andcomewithsimpleroff
theshelfinterfacesoftware/hardware.
However,thesetypesoftopologies
generallyprovidelessdeterminism,andare
notasfaulttolerantasafullmeshorpartial
mesh.Forsinglepointfailures,thesimpler
fieldbustopologiescanoftenrecovermore

quicklythanameshnetworkbecausethey
arenotascomplicatedandtheswitchesdo
nothavetopollasmanynodesto
reconfiguretheroutingtables.Thesoftware
packagesrequiredtoreconfigurean
Industrial ringtopologyareusuallyoffthe
shelfproductsasthisisaverycommontype
ofsystemarchitecture. Proprietary ring
redundancymanagersoftwaremaybe
employedtoachieverevenfasterrecovery
time. However,fromafaulttoleranceand
survivability perspective,thesetopologies
tendnottobeassurvivable/faulttolerantas
meshnetworks.Whiletheycanhandle
singlepointfailuresfasterthanamesh,they
FIGURE3. StarTopology

FIGURE4.Ring(loop)Topology

FIGURE5. BusTopology

cannotsurvivemultipleswitchfailuresor
multiplecablebreaks.Forthisreason,the
useofdualbus,tree,star,andring
topologiesuseisusuallylimitedtolower
level fieldbusnetworksorfieldbus
segmentsthatarededicatedtoprovidinga
singlespecificservice,suchasadedicated
localareanetwork(LAN)forwaterjet
steering/thrustcontrols,GasTurbineLANs,
andPropulsionMotorDriveLANs.The
equipmentandsystemsservedbythelower
levelnetworksandtheeffectsofafailure
arethekeyfactorsindeterminingwhich
topologiesandprotocolscanbeemployed.
Exampletopologiesareasfollows:

FIGURE6. TreeToplogy

FIGURE7.MeshToplogy
Theillustrationshowsafullmeshnetworkwithfivenodes.Eachnodeisshownasa
sphere,andconnectionsareshownasstraightlines. Ameshnetworkisreliableandoffers
redundancy.Ifonenodecannolongeroperate,alltherestcanstillcommunicatewitheachother,
directlyorthroughoneormoreintermediatenodes.

FIGURE8.Partial MeshToplogy
PartialMesh(corebackbonenetworkswitchesarrangedinfullmeshwithedgeswitchesarranged
inpartialmeshwithatleast2connectionsto 2differentcoreswitches)

WhenIndustrialEthernetbased fieldbus
technologyisusedinashipwideautomation
system,carefulconsiderationmustbegiven
todefinetheminimumfaulttolerance
requiredforselectionoftopologiesand
protocolsthatwillmaximizedeterminism.
TheNavalVesselRulesprovidetwosetsof
criteria:
NVRSection4113,MissionCritical
Networks,specifiesafullmeshnetworkfor
networksupto4switchesandapartialmesh
networkfornetworksthathave5ormore
switches(for5ormoreswitches,each
switchmustbeconnectedtoatleast3other
switches).TheNVR4113criteriais
intendedforintegratedshipwideautomation
networksthatsupportmultipleshipboard
systems.Inthesecases,themaximumlevel
offaulttoleranceandsurvivabilityare
requiredinordertosurvivemultiplefailures
duetobattledamage.
NVRSection426,ComputerBased
Systems,specifiesabasicredundantfault
tolerantnetworksuchthatnosinglepointof
failureexistsonthesystem.Theserules
werederivedfromthecommercialSteel
VesselRulesandwereintendedforthe
simplerapplicationsonnavalshipssuchas
localareanetworksthatsupportmajor
equipmentsuchaspropulsionmotordrives,
gasturbines,dieselengines,andwaterjets
controlsystems.
Theareawheretherehasbeensomeneed
forclarificationiswhere fieldbus

technologyhasbeenextendedupintothe
midlevelshipwidenetworks.Ethernet
basedIndustrialRingtopologieswithCOTS
supportingsoftwarearefairlycommonin
thecommercialworld,andmeetthe
minimumclasssocietyrulesandflagstate
regulationstosurviveasinglepointof
failure.However,onanavalcombatant,this
leveloffaulttoleranceandsurvivability
wouldnotbeacceptableforshipwide
networkssupportingmultiplemission
criticalsystems.
Forexample,amidlevelshipwide
networkthatsupportsmultipleengineering
systemswouldneedtomeet4113,unlessit
wassufficientlyintegratedwithahigher
leveltotalshipnetworksuchthatifthemid
levelringnetworksufferedmultiplefailures
andweresplitintomultiplesections,it
shouldstillbeablecommunicateviathe
totalshipnetwork.Ifamidlevelring
topologyisnotsufficientlyintegratedwith
thetotalshipnetwork,adoublefailurewill
notbemitigatedbyconnectivityviathetotal
shipnetwork.Inaringtopology,theloop
maybebrokenintwoplacesandthetwo
sidesofthebrokenringwouldnotbeableto
communicatebidirectionallyviathetotal
shipnetworkinterfaces(seefigure9). A
conditioncouldoccurwherethemidlevel
networkcouldbesegregatedintoseveral
disparatenetworks,unabletocommunicate
witheachother.

FIGURE9.Mixed TopologiesHilevel Meshcombinedwith Sublevel Ring

Coreswitches(blue)
HilevelShipwideTotalShipnetwork,
PartialMeshtopology

Edgeswitch(green)
Interfacestototalshipnetwork
Interfaceboundary

Ethernetswitches(yellow)
Midlevel,Machinerycontrolsystem
NetworkwithIndustrialRingtoplogy

Alternatively,themidlevelnetworkcould
beprovidedinameshconfigurationwithan
equivalentleveloffaulttoleranceand
survivabilityasthehigherlevelnetwork.In
thiscase,itwouldalsohavetobecapableof
independentoperationinaneventofaloss
ofconnectivitywiththehigherlevel
network.
Anotheralternativewouldbedualring
topologies(seefigure10)wheretworings
arearranged toprovidesuperiorfault
toleranceandsurvivability. Thisusually
consistoftwoconcentricringsthat connect
eachnodeon anetworkinsteadofone
networkringthatisusedinaringtopology.
Typically,thesecondaryringinadualring
topologyisredundant.Itisusedasabackup
incasetheprimary ringfails.Inthese
configurations,datamovesinopposite
directionsaroundtherings.Eachringis
independentoftheotheruntiltheprimary
ringfailsandthetworingsareconnectedto
continuetheflowofdatatraffic. Provided
thatitmeetsthe NVRperformance
requirementsformissioncriticalnetworks,
thistypeoftoplogymaybeanacceptable
alternativetoafullmeshonnaval
combatants.

FIGURE10. DualRingTopology

RECOMMENDATIONS
TheNavalVesselRulesformidlevel
controlandautomation networksneedtobe
clarifiedinordertopreventmisapplication
oftherequirements.Arulechangeshould
bedraftedtoexplainwhereandwhenthe
differentcriteriaaretobeapplied.
Additionally,considerationshouldbegiven
tocreatingan AutomationSystems
Handbook thatprovidesdetailedguidance
andexamplesonhowtoapplytheNaval
VesselRulestoshipboardautomation
networks.Thisapproachissimilartohow
theUSCGNavigationandInspection
Circulars(NVICs)provideanexplanation
onhowtoapplytheUSCGregulations
providedintheCodeofFederalRegulations
(CFR).Anotherexcellentexampleisthe
NationalElectricCode(NEC)2005
Handbook (1331pageswithmanyexcellent
illustrations)thatprovidesexplicitexamples
ofhowtoapplyNECrequirements.
TheNVRshouldbemodifiedtoinclude
provisionsfordatalinkstomeetopen

standardsforfieldbusesasidentifiedinIEC
61158,DigitaldataCommunicationfor
measurementandcontrol Fieldbusforuse
inindustrialcontrolsystems.,orother
recognized industry standardsacceptableto
theNavalTechnicalAuthority. Therules
needtobefurtherdevelopedtofullyaddress
fieldbusintermsoftopicssuchasfieldbus
architectures,protocols,cablinglinks,and
I/Odensity.

CONCLUSIONS
NVR4113istheminimumcriteriafora
shipwidecontrolandautomationsystem
network.Itspecifiestheminimum
performanceandfaulttolerancerequiredfor
missioncriticalautomationsystem
networks.
ThelessercriteriainNVR426maybe
employedforspecificstandalone
applicationssuchasdedicated fieldbuslocal
areanetworksthatoperateindependentlyof
theshipsmainshipwidenetwork.Forthese
applications,asimplerringordualbus

topologyissufficientprovideditcansurvive
singlepointfailures.
AsIndustrialEthernetand fieldbus
protocolscontinuetoproliferatetheNaval
Automationsystems,additionaldetailed
criteriamayhavetobeestablishedinthe
futuretoensurethattheNavy'sminimum
faulttoleranceandsurvivabilitylevelsare
maintainedatalllevelsoftheship,from
HMIconsolestofielddevices.Also,to
achievethecostsavings,safetyand
interoperabilitybenefitsofopenstandards
overtheship'slifecycle,the
Navy/ABS/IndustryTeamplanstoevaluate
theElectronicDeviceDescriptionLanguage
(EDDL),asdescribedinthefollowingtwo
documents:
ANSI/ISA618043(104.00.01)2007,
FunctionBlocks(FB)forProcessControl
Part3:ElectronicDeviceDescription
Language(EDDL).
ANSI/ISATR618044(104.00.02)2007,
FunctionBlocks(FB)forProcessControl
Part4:ElectronicDeviceDescription(EDD)
InteroperabilityGuideline.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LouNelson,NAVSEA05Z33(ex05Z52),
SurfaceShipControlSystemsSteering,
ManeuveringandMotionStabilization
SystemsIntegratedBridgeandNavigation
Systems(IBNS).

AUTHORBIOGRAPHY
MichaelJ.Roa, PrincipalEngineer,ABS
Americas, ABSGovernmentOperations
Office,NavalEngineeringDepartment,
Alexandria,VirginiaUSA
B.S.ElectricalEngineering,The
Citadel,1986
QualifiedEngineeringOfficerofthe
Watch,USSCORALSEA(CV43),
1988

CurrentlyenrolledinMastersofScience
Program,InformationSystems,
UniversityofMarylandatBaltimore
Campus(UMBC)
22yearsexperienceinShipboard
ElectricalPower,MachineryControl,
Navigation,andCommunication
Systems
7yearsonStrategicSealiftProgram
9yearswithABSdevelopingNaval
VesselRulesParts3&4
PrincipalauthorforNVRPart3,
ElectricalSystemsandNVRPart4,
ControlandNavigationSystems
Currentdutiesincludeperformingplan
reviewonvariousABSclassed
governmentvesselsincludingLCSships
andDDG1000.
MemberIEEE,ASNE, SNAME,Tau
BetaPi
WorkingGroupMember,IEEEStd45,
ShipboardInstallations,Controland
Automation
WorkingGroupMember,IEEEDraft
StdP1662,PowerElectronics